Hold On, page 4
Aliannah was really enjoying talking with Jasper, getting to know him more each passing day, and the reprieve from Ivan was elevating. She even agreed to meet Jasper tonight for dinner.
“Oooh, two dates in one week? He must be ever the charmer Ali!” Michelle teased. Aliannah stood in front of her mirror, trying to decide what to wear tonight. She was to meet Jasper at the top of the Empire State Building for dinner.
The location was her pick this time. It was a restaurant she was familiar with; this helped ease her nerves. She settled on an emerald green backless dress paired with gold heels with straps wrapped around her legs up to her knees. Elegant but sexy, that’s exactly the vibe Aliannah was going for. She decided for a change to leave her hair in loose, bouncy curls cascading down her back. Aliannah felt good. She was confident, and she had every right to be.
A cool welcome breeze hit her as she stepped out of the elevator to the roof terrace of the Empire State Building. She took a deep breath as she walked across to where Jasper stood at the bar. Tonight, he wore a black shirt rolled with his sleeves rolled back paired with black slacks, and his hair was gelled up a little. A sultry vibe just emanated right off him; he had all the women in the bar goggling at him.
“Aliannah… Wow! You look beautiful. What would you like to drink?” A blush warmed her cheeks as she requested a vodka lemon from the bartender. They made their way to the heated seating area that had a spectacular view of the city. While this venue was high-class and elegant, it did not carry the same pretence as some of those upper society restaurants near the museum. Relaxed luxury is how Aliannah thought of this place.
A nod of Jasper's head signalled the waitress to come over with the menus. They would dine out here on the terrace. The clear night sky and the last of the summer warmth were perfect. Jasper ordered the steak, and Aliannah ordered the pesto chicken pasta.
*PING*
Aliannah took her phone out of her purse. She bunched her eyebrows together in confusion as she read the message.
“Is everything ok?” Jasper enquired.
“Yes, it's all good! It is just Michelle letting me know her plans got cancelled, so she will be staying home tonight.” Aliannah lied. It was not a bad lie, as it set the tone for the night that Jasper would not be going home with her, but it is not good to conceal the truth either.
Enjoy your meal, but he better keep his hands off – I
Ivan was in Russia. How could he possibly know she was out tonight? There was no way he was here. Sure, he was on the news live this afternoon with another press conference for the explosions. There is no way on God’s green earth he would have been there and flown back here on time. He must have his men watching her for him. Aliannah did not like this one bit. He was not her husband. He was not her boyfriend. He had no claim over her at all. She looked around her. She did not see anyone suspicious, but with Ivan’s wealth and connections, he could have paid anyone to be discreet and watch her.
The food was incredible. Jasper and Aliannah both sat back so full, fit to burst. The conversation was easy with him. Aliannah found there to be no awkward silences at all. They spoke about his work and friends and her love of travel and adventure. Jasper said he had never been to France and he would love to visit one day. It was on his bucket list to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Aliannah thought it to be a bit silly that a person of Jasper's wealth had never been to Paris. Certainly, with a click of his fingers, he could charter a jet to take him whenever he wanted.
“I want to share the experience with someone special,” Jasper smiled as he answered when Aliannah asked why he had never gone before. It was reasonable to take this answer as truth, and so she did. She needed to learn to trust men again. She would trust again but slowly and at her own pace.
They decided to go for a walk in the cool night air to chat some more. Aliannah regretted wearing her heels. It was not long before they began to ache. This outfit was not made for a romantic stroll. It was made for sitting pretty or getting drunk. She was doing neither of those tonight.
“Jasper, as much as I am enjoying our date, believe me, I am. I cannot walk any further, or my feet will fall off. These are not long-walk shoes”, she laughed as she gestured towards her feet. She cringed as she realised how visible the marks from the lace-up of the heels had dug into her skin. Aliannah made a mental note not to wear these shoes again for a very long time, if ever again. Jasper spotted a bench up ahead and suggested they go there so Aliannah could rest her feet. She only agreed because the bench was within viewing distance.
They sat there for another hour, talking about movies and characters. A comfortable silence fell upon them. Jasper noticed Aliannah looking up.
“What are you looking at?” he asked with intrigue.
“The stars, I love how they sparkle. It is rare to see them with New York weather and lights so bright. They bring me such joy when they can be seen” Aliannah leaned back on the bench and smiled as she continued to look up. Jasper sat back and put his arm loosely around her shoulders. Aliannah snuggled in. They sat in silence happily for another 10 minutes before the sky clouded over and the heavens chucked rain down on them. They ran to the nearest doorway for shelter while they ordered cabs and waited for them. They lived on opposite sides of the park, so it did not make sense for them to ride home together.
Jasper cancelled his ride when Aliannah’s arrived first. He insisted on accompanying her to her building. “A lady should not be out and about alone so late at night. The gentleman in me will not accept your refusal, Aliannah. I won’t get out of the car if you don’t want but I will watch that you enter your building safely,” Aliannah reluctantly agreed to this. How could she refuse such a gentleman’s offer?
Jasper had to get out at Aliannah’s building in order to let her out of the cab. Aliannah thanked him for the evening and was about to run to the building to get out of the rain when Jasper grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards him.
“I have been dying to do this all night” He tilted her chin up and kissed her. Aliannah’s mind went blank. Their first kiss in the pouring rain! Notebook moment! All she would need now is the foot pop from Princess Diaries, and her zing would be complete. Foot popping in these heels was not going to happen, so she would have to settle for the Notebook moment. She kissed him back before running into her building from the rain.
She greeted Harry as she passed by his desk in the lobby and went straight for the elevator up to the apartment. By the time she got to her front door, her shoes were already off and in her hands. She could not believe Jasper had kissed her.
Chapter Nine
Michelle was snoring on the couch when Aliannah got home, much to her relief, so she tip-toed to her room and shut the door quietly. She was still in awe at herself for kissing Jasper back. Even though Ivan still lurked about like a bad smell, she finally believed that maybe she could move on with Jasper. Was Jasper “The One”? Maybe? Or maybe not? A girl had to start somewhere, and Jasper seemed like a good place to start.
Aliannah woke the next morning to intense knocking on the front door. She opened it to find the florist courier again. This time, he had five huge bouquets of white peonies.
“This guy sure is a trier! I had to borrow Harry's Cart to get these up here,” the courier said, defeated. Aliannah rolled her eyes and waved in the courier so he could unload the cart and leave. She was in no mood for jokes. Ivan was becoming smothering. How can someone so far away be such a pain in the ass? She found the note on the last bouquet.
Aliannah darling, did you really forget about me so soon? – I.
Michelle walked out of her room just as Aliannah groaned, reading the note. “For God’s sake, Ivan! This is getting ridiculous. That man needs to stop before we drown in peonies.” Michelle muttered. She was not wrong. There were peonies on every surface of the apartment.
“How about we get dressed and bring these down to Harry? He can keep them, gift them, whatever he wants to do with them, and we need our apartment back,” Aliannah suggested. Michelle agreed this was a great way to get their apartment back, and soon, they were lugging all five bouquets down the hall to the elevator.
Harry was surprised when he looked up to see the girls putting the bouquets on his counter. “Ladies, what is all the fuss about? My birthday is not for another seven months” Michelle explained how the flowers were taking over the entire apartment and that they could not move without bumping into a bouquet.
“You could use them in the lobby, keep them, gift them, or donate them, whatever you choose, Harry. I am gifting them to you for you to do with as you see fit,” Aliannah insisted. Harry agreed to take them. He would use two to decorate the lobby and donate the other three to a local hospital to help cheer up patients. Aliannah was delighted with his choices and felt great about her decision to give the flowers to Harry.
A few days had passed; Aliannah had been so busy in work setting up the new exhibit for October that she did not notice how quiet it had been. She had not heard from Jasper since their kiss, and Ivan had been silent since his flower delivery. This little bubble of peace was lovely. Autumn had developed among the trees, turning their leaves from luscious green to vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. It was Aliannah’s favourite time of the year. Pumpkin spice lattes were her staple for October. It felt all sorts of wrong not to enjoy this warm, delicious drink.
Aliannah was sitting on the museum floor sorting through the brochures for the new launch when she heard heels clacking across the floor behind her. Michelle plonked herself down on the floor beside her.
“Thought I would join you for lunch today, here is that chicken Caesar wrap you like from down the road and a coke.” Aliannah thanked Michelle. She had not realised how hungry she was until the sight of lunch made her stomach growl so loudly that it echoed. Both of the girls laughed.
“This wrap is divine! Oh, I could marry it and spend the rest of my life with it,” Aliannah moaned as she devoured the huge wrap.
“Slow down before you choke!” Michelle laughed “also! It will go mouldy in a couple of days, so you may need to find a new bed-mate,” Michelle continued, laughing even harder. The two girls were in uncontrollable fits of laughter. It was good to laugh. It felt freeing. Life was never dull when Michelle was around. Their friendship went so deep they could practically read each other’s thoughts. When they were younger, they would tell people that they were non-identical twins since they were so in sync with one another.
They clinked their bottles. “To twenty years of annoying the shit out of each other!” Michelle cheered.
“Here is to twenty more years of trying not to pee our pants laughing!” Aliannah cheered, clinking again. The girls laughed some more and lay down to look at the painting on the museum ceiling. It had been inspired by the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, and Michelle loved looking at it.
“So, how is Gavin? You two seem to be more serious by the day,” Aliannah enquired as they lay looking up. There was a shift in the air. Michelle went silent. Aliannah bunched her brows, concerned and turned her head to look at her friend. “Michelle, is everything ok?”
Michelle sat up. Her body language screamed nerves. She couldn’t look at Aliannah. “Ali…. Gavin asked me to move with him” Michelle slowly turned to look at Aliannah. Aliannah was smiling. “You’re not upset?”
It was Aliannah’s turn to look confused. “No, why would I be? This is amazing; I am so happy for you. Gavin is such a good guy!”
Michelle burst into tears. “Oh my god, I was so worried you would be so mad”, she sobbed, trying to speak and cry at the same time. “I know we always planned to spend our twenties house-sharing in New York, and I am breaking our plans for a guy. This is not what we planned!” Michelle was barely able to breathe by the time she finished.
Aliannah put her arm around her friend's shoulder. “Why would I be mad? So what that we had plans; we are in our twenties, and now is the time to live. You are not ditching me for some guy. It is Gavin! He is one of the best ones. You are moving ten minutes away, not another continent” She laughed and continued, “We will still see each other and talk as much as we always have. I am truly and completely happy for you. I would be mad if you turned him down!” Michelle laughed this time.
Michelle let out a sigh of relief and said, “I am so glad our friendship is so strong. He wants me to move today since he has the day off to help me before the weekend rush at Zino’s” Aliannah hugged her friend. She was happy to know a good guy would be taking care of her friend, but she could not lie to herself. She would miss Michelle terribly, even if she screamed for flowers at 8 am on Saturday mornings. Aliannah let a quiet laugh out at this memory from a few weeks back.
Coming home that evening was a very strange experience. For the first time since she moved to New York, Aliannah has lived alone. The rent wouldn’t be an issue; Aliannah could cover it comfortably without being broke. The permanent loneliness, though, was the hard part. Michelle left their favourite photo together framed on the sitting room table with a box of chocolates and a note.
Unlike Ivan, try not to forget about me yeah? – M
Aliannah laughed out loud. Oh, Michelle! Only Michelle could make a joke out of the Ivan situation.
Chapter Ten
The weekend arrived with a heavy amount of rain. Aliannah loved the sound of rain against the window. Sometimes, she would be able to sit out on the balcony and enjoy the peace of the rain as her balcony was sheltered, being mid-way up the building. Today was not that day. The wind direction was hounding in towards her balcony, so her couch would have to suffice. She made a coffee, grabbed some biscuits and she settled on the couch under a cosy blanket with her book. This peace was refreshing from the madness since her return from Europe. Life had been consistently hectic.
She missed the calm of the Adriatic Sea. She would happily sit on the front deck of the Serenity for hours, just watching the sea glitter in the sun and the waves dance as they moved with the current. She closed her eyes and thought back to those sunny days. A glass of chilled white wine in her hand, the sun on her skin and some light-tempo music softly playing through the speakers. Ivan came over and rubbed sunscreen onto her shoulders. He was always so attentive to her. His arms wrapped around her body as he continued applying the sunscreen.
“I must make sure my darling does not burn; skin as beautiful as yours must be protected”, Ivan would say as he thoroughly rubbed in the cream and doubled over his pathways so as not to miss a single inch of Aliannah’s body.
There was something about his accent when he spoke, it would send electric waves through every nerve in Aliannah’s body, and his touch sent goose bumps racing across her skin. He kissed her softly before walking away back into the main saloon of the boat. Her vision rippled as day turned to night, and she walked through the main saloon looking for Ivan. She saw his back through the open office door, and she stopped herself from walking any further into the room when she saw what was happening. She could not believe he was doing this again. Why would he do this again? How could she be so stupid to trust him again? She turned away and ran.
Aliannah woke with a jolt and was breathless from her run. Her heart was racing so hard she could hear it in her ears. She was covered in sweat, and tears were streaming down her face. “It was just a dream. Aliannah, you are home. You are safe. He cannot hurt you anymore. It was just a dream!” she said to herself. She looked around to confirm she was indeed in her New York apartment and not Ivan’s boat.
She checked the time on her phone. It was 5 pm. How had she slept so much of the day away? Wow, that rain sure had an effect today. She noticed the rain had finally stopped, and it was just a dull October evening. She rang Michelle. “Hey Mich! You busy tonight? I’m in the mood to go dancing.”
“Hell yes, girl! I swing by yours at 9, and we can head to Zino’s together. Gavin’s on the door tonight, so he’s already there for prep work,” Michelle said, eager to get out. “You should invite Jasper, too! I’d love to meet him,” she added. Aliannah was hesitant. She still had not heard from Jasper since they kissed. She debated whether to tell Michelle or not.
“Sure, I’ll fire him a text and see if he’ll meet us there later,” The girls said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Aliannah bit her lip as she tried to find the courage to text Jasper. Would she seem desperate? She hoped not. She did it.
Hey, Mich and I are heading to Zino’s later tonight. Want to meet us there later?
*Swoosh* off went the message to Jasper. Aliannah went for a long, hot, steamy lobster-inducing shower. She scrubbed the sweat from her dream off. She scrubbed away her nerves from texting Jasper after an entire week of silence. Aliannah was a new woman when she finally stepped out of the shower. She turned on some house music and started going through her wardrobe, looking for something to wear tonight. She settled on a gold strappy mini-dress. It complimented the tan she had from Croatia. A tan that was sadly beginning to fade, Aliannah picked out some simple black heels and a black bag to finish off her outfit.
When she picked up the heels, a box caught her attention. It was the box that contained the dress and necklace that Ivan had gifted her. “Not tonight,” she thought to herself. She checked her phone to see if Jasper had replied. There was nothing. She could tell it had been delivered, but he must either have read receipts switched off, or else he had not opened the message yet because the two ticks in the bottom corner of her message were still grey. She sighed as she sat to do her makeup. Maybe Jasper was too good to be true.
